Squatting after ACL surgery...how long?

[jerkbox]

Anyone ever have reconstructive surgery for a torn ACL? I had surgery back in Feb, and tried squatting (with brace) about 2 months after, was pretty painful, and my knee was really sore for a while (i only went up to 135).

Just wondering how long it took for others before they started squatting again.

I am doing the rehab protocal my therapist gave me right now - leg extensions, leg curls, lunges, calf raises etc., but I miss my squats!

 

[b fold the truth]

IF you start doing squats...I would do box squats and sit WAYYYYYYYYYY back on the box.

B True

 

[Vigorous]

acl

Hey..

Acl and recover in general is going to be different for everybody. Its pretty much how you feel and how much stability your knee has as to how much you should do or push yourself.. I would concentrate on your recovery and getting back a pain free full range of motion and knee stabilty before you really start to tax your leg again.. If your acl is not fully recovered then theres a tendency for the tibia to shift during quad contraction. These shifts can lead to further stress on your knee which is never a good thing...

My 2 cents.. good luck

Vigorous

 

[brooklynboy]

I have had two surgies on my right knee. Frist one was just acl the second was acl mcl and reomve torn cartilage. After both I waited close to 6 months after rehab before I put a empty bar on my back. After that i just listen to what my body told me you should do the same. If you are still in rehab do not do it. It will take a while but it will pay off big time in the long run WAIT WAIT WAIT. When you do start off again only do body weight squats for awhile till your knee gets used to some stress and slowly increase resistence from there. Hope that helps.

 

[LargeNCharge]

I too had ACL reconstruction and you're best off taking it VERY slow. Substitute leg presses for squats and do some lunges with very low weight(or none at all). The quicker you get your quad strength back in the leg that was operated on, the better off you'll be, but until then, take it easy. Your quad serves as a cushion for the knee and absorbs much of the shock that is encountered on the leg. However, if your muscle is deteriorated(i.e. after surgery), the shock will be applied directly to the knee. More simply stated, you need to wait a while before messing with squats-your body will let you know when it's time to get back into it.

 

[bignate73]

ask your PT

 

[majidz]

Do squat with very low weight and then start increasing the weights gradually ...
for me, i did ACL and MCL reconstruction surgery 3 weeks ago ,,, i will start lifting after 2 weeks for all body parts except legs ,,, Legs will be part of physiotherapy exercises ...
Later i will start seated squats with very light weights ....